Hymn Study Schedule for 2011

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As I shared before in

Confessions ~ I didn’t do it all,

I didn’t do it all.

The other plan that just didn’t happen in 2010

at all …

all year …

was…

Hymn Study

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Charlotte Mason suggests that,  just as you would do a monthly Artist and Composer study, children should study a hymn each month.

She said that children should~

“form the habit of listening to and reading the scriptures – the actual scriptures.  Children should be in the habit of praising God.  Sing hymns. ”  (Vol 2, pg. 142)

To start

I went to Simply Charlotte Mason and copied their Hymn Study Schedule.

I have some hymns on CDs here at home.  I believe in using what I have, so I highlighted all the hymns on the schedule that I have on my CDs.  I had 12!  That’s one hymn for each month!  (I prefer our recordings to the midi files and MP3 files online, but there are excellent YouTube videos of several hymns that you could download if you don’t have your own CDs.)

Next

I created a Hymn Study Schedule for 2011 (the download is at the end of this post) and linked to websites that have midi files or mp3 files, background information on the authors and composers and the songs words.

I downloaded 27 pages of  FREE –Hymn Study Notebooking Pages that Jimmie created at  Jimmie’s Collage.  Jimmie gives some great ideas for hymn study.  Besides blank copywork pages, there are pages for vocabulary you find in hymns, Bible verses you find in hymns, and the meaning and etymology of the word hymn.

I highly recommend Jimmie’s Hymn Study Squidoo Lens.  Here you’ll find stacks of Hymn Study ideas, activities, CDs & book titles, other web sites and links for free hymn study downloads.

Dana at Epi Kardia shares how her family does their Hymn Study. They ~

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1. Discuss the hymn.
2. Discuss the author.
3. Sing the hymn every day for a month.
4. Additional options:

• Assign one stanza along each week as copy work.
• Assign one stanza each week as memorization to be recited.
• Ask your older student to research the author and write 3-5 paragraphs about their lives and work
• Request that your older student find Scripture pertaining to other phrases in this work mentioned above (Born of His Spirit, Washed in His blood, etc.)
• Have your student write out this hymn in his own words.
• After studying this hymn, have your student create her own hymn.
• Assign your student to find a passage of Scripture and compose a melody to accompany it.

Finally

I printed out the words of each hymn (free download at the end of the post) for the girls to learn the hymns and for copywork lessons.

In order to ensure that we do our hymn study, I have purposed in my heart to keep it really simple to start.  (I tend to jump in and crush their joy with over-zealous enthusiasm!)

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I pray that as we sing the hymn daily during the month,

I may gently include a little extra study each week on the hymn.

It may be some copywork.

Or perhaps memorization.

Maybe they will write a short biography of the author or composer.

But I know that I will NOT do it all.

 

I want to gently urge my children to appreciate these hymns,

to understand them,

to recognise them,

and maybe remember some verses.

Perhaps they may even sing them.

The bonus would be some narrations on their notebook pages,

or beautiful handwritten copywork

or biography pages.

Here are some more Hymn Study Websites:

• Songs and Hymns.org has background history, scriptures, real songs and mp3 downloads.
• Hymnary.org has a comprehensive list of hymns and music.
• Garden of praise.com has some popular hymns, lyrics and free printable music scores.
• Lassen Technologies at  has most hymns with midi files.  Some popular hymns have music scores downloads.
• Cyber hymnal.org
• The Centre for Church Music, Songs and Hymns has a full list of hymns.
• I found guitar chords and tabs at www.chordie.com

Here are my Free Downloads:

• Hymn Study Schedules 14 page .pdf file
• Hymn Words 11 page .pdf file

Blessings as you worship Him,